


Silvergate

by Wristic



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dad Stark, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-11 13:11:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11149116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wristic/pseuds/Wristic
Summary: Adopting you after being discovered in not the best of circumstances, Tony has to struggle with the very idea of parenthood. And then also the idea that you’ve developed super powers. And then also that you have a boyfriend.





	Silvergate

He could have dropped you off at an orphanage, could have just let you go and move on from the world of crazy scientists and terrorists. He could have… but he couldn’t. It riddled him with guilt and fear and second guesses but something about seeing a small child hooked up to a dozen monitors, head shaved and laden with surgical cuts, Tony just couldn’t leave you with someone and hope for the best. **  
**

So after quite a few court hearings and doctor’s visits it was, “Surprise Pepper, we have a kid!” And her pushing through a stone smile. “Can I talk to you. In private.”

But you were hard not to love. Patient and quiet, you had a shy smile when he gave you your own probably-too-big room filled with probably-too-many things.

“I uh, I didn’t know what kids these days liked so…”

You looked up with a nod, your lips tucked between your teeth but the smile showing anyway. There were enough things in there to entertain you for years but everyday Tony tried his best to tear himself away from his work to do… well something. _Anything_. Kids had never been apart of his loop before and for as well behaved as you were, all his inexperience made you damn intimidating. It didn’t help Pepper wasn’t wrong about neither of them having the free time to raise a child. Yet you didn’t seem to mind. Turned out you were pretty reclusive yourself, watching art videos and then practicing them like your life depended on it.

Pepper had always been his savior for the things he couldn’t keep up with, and that didn’t lessen with the affection part of the deal. She made sure you went to school, set up little dates for the three of you, got the best doctors for the horrors that haunted your sleep.

And then you said it, the D word. Tony was sure he stared at that empty door for an hour, Dad, _Dad_. You’d called him Dad. Pepper was already Mom and that fit so well no matter how apprehensive she started. He never expected to be made more than Tony, but suddenly he was Dad Tony. It was hard to grasp both the terror and pride that filled him.

* * *

Movement in his workshop wasn’t unheard of but he knew nothing should be running let alone flashing in his eyes. It brought Tony out of his work for only a brief moment, to snap to attention when he glimpsed the back of your light grey sweater, standing in the middle of his workshop like you owned the place.

The teasing was clear in his tone. “Hey you’re not suppose to be in here-”

You spun around, eyes dodging around in a panic, mouth parted with heavy breath. Tony jumped up, cautious in walking up to you. “Are you alright?”

“H-how did I…?”

Tony put down his tools and came at you with his hands out. “Hey you’re okay, you’re safe-”

“Is this real?” You were still whipping your head around, hands raising a little as he came close, gently placing them in his.

“Yeah it’s real Sweetheart. You’re doing just fine, you’re home.” your hands felt cold but sweaty, trembling under his fingertips.

“I don’t remember how I got here. I was getting ready for school and… I don’t know. I don’t know how I got here…”

Stroking your cheek he coaxed you out of your panic. It wasn’t the first time you did this but it was happening a lot these days. It scared the hell out of Pepper and Tony, you’d made so much progress since your first few years. The doctors said maybe the stress of high school was causing a relapse but you were adamant that wasn’t it. Shaking the shock from your head you gave a few long breathes.

“I guess I’ll get back to getting ready-”

“You can stay home if you want.” More a recommendation than an offer.

You smiled then, through the thin sheet of sweat coating your skin and still partly dazed look, you smiled. “No, I just need a quick shower and I’ll be fine.” Giving his hands a reassuring squeeze you left for the door.

“Are you sure? Because every kid in the world would take that offer in a heartbeat.” He looked pointedly from under his brow. “You got a boyfriend or something?”

“Boyfriend?” You choked on your laugh. “Boyfrie-, that’s crazy, boy-that’s just, pff, that’s funny, you’re funny! Boyfriend, you are a, you’re just a hoot-gotta go! Love you!” The door swung open and you flew out before he could return the endearment, an uncomfortable sensation running up his spine.

* * *

Tony kept tabs on anything that made the news, especially the ones of people trying their hand at vigilante work, and _especially_ especially on people doing vigilante work with seeming super powers.

A duo had appeared in New York, a kid in red and blue, crawling up walls and shooting web out of his hands to tie up criminals. Spiderman. Who names themselves after bugs? What a nerd.

The second was someone who could open up portals, teleporting themselves or the bad guys from one spot to the next instantaneously. Silvergate, which sounded like a hardware brand, wearing clothes all whites and grays to match the glittering oval made of pure light, outlining the quantum leaps.

They’d been stirring up a hell of a ruckus, the Daily Bugle making them the main focus and not letting up. As much as the papers wanted to call them a menace, they seemed to be doing good work, capturing criminals and the hearts of the city with their cute little kisses and quips in between capturing criminals.

And he was content with that, letting them try their hands at being heroes. Only this Silvergate brought back that unwanted sensation. He hadn’t heard from you in awhile, the relapse having all but disappeared when you started taking extra classes and staying at friends houses. He could understand that, distractions to keep the bad stuff at bay, but when you did come home it was like you brought a ghost with you. Things being moved, foods suspiciously disappearing, bright lights at the end of dark halls.

Your past was scratchy. The reason for your experimentation burned before he got there. This was a crazy world, and he could recognize those hands callused from paint brushes, pen, and pencils anywhere.

* * *

You slid in front of the alley where three bank robbers were running away with their bags of cash spilling out. Peter already strung up their escape vehicle, while you teleported their leader head first into a pole. Your ability had its limits, limits you were afraid to cross anyway. Distance being one of them. It was so entirely new but a portal could open where your eyes could see, it could also open where you couldn’t but do to a mishap with an apple mushed into a wall, you didn’t want to take that risk with people. Who only knew what would happen if you opened a leap on top of someone. The idea made you shiver.

So you ran instead and when Peter finished making a net between a light pole and a wall about a block down, you opened a portal just as the criminals turned and thanks to momentum they jumped headlong into the web.

With a big smile on your face you opened a portal beside your feet and jumped in just as Peter few past you, hopping in and coming out in the sky just in time for him to gracefully catch you.

“You got plans tonight or do you wanna break up a gun fight?” watching his head shake, knowing he was rolling his eyes at himself, you couldn’t resist.

“Plans or not, somebody’s gotta get them caught!”

You both burst into giggles, kissing his masked cheek as you were swung all across New York.

It was in fact a fiery blaze, a shootout between two gangs and the cops locked in the middle. Between Peter whisking away the guns and you portaling the members into the back seats of the police cars, things were looking like they’d be done quickly.

Until the oh so familiar sound of rockets caught your ears.

“What do you think you’re doing!?” Tony in his full Iron Man suit blasted back a man ready to shoot you while you’d been distracted by his entrance. From there the rest scattered and the police had to chase them down.

“I’m~ not sure what you are refer-”

He bit your name out in that grumpy Dad tone and you knew you were in trouble. “What are you doing out here!? Dressed up like this, this is a _gun fight_ and _you’re in a hoody_!” In any other scenario you would have started laughing. He’d used that suit for so many games growing up, being scolded by it was just hilarious. But not now. “These people want to kill you, you know that right!? It’s not a little Sunday morning cartoon, you being a kid isn’t going to stop them! And don’t you dare say ‘I learned it from watching you-”

“It’s not like that! Dad I-”

Peter landed next to you out of nowhere. “You’re Dad is Iron Man!?”

“And you!” Peter jumped back when _The Iron Man_ jabbed an accusing finger at him. “You did this! You’re the bad influence here!”

“No!” You tried to step in between the two hoping Tony would start listening, “I wanted this-”

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re dad was Tony Stark-”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend-”

First you snapped at Peter, “People get weird when I tell them my father is Iron Man,” and then you snapped at Tony, “and I was afraid _you_ would get weird if I told you I had a boyfriend! Now please, can I speak here!”

They both remained silent until you opened your mouth to speak, Tony sounding ever more heart broken. “You know how dangerous this can be.”

“Yes! Exactly, this _is_ dangerous! And all I can do is imagine how much more dangerous it is for the people who only have their bare hands and wits to protect themselves. And you know better than anyone sometimes even that isn’t enough. I…” you turned and gripped Peter’s hand, him stepping a bit closer, “ _We_ have more than that. We talked about it a lot, the…the things we’ve been through… it wouldn’t be right for us to just turn around and lock it all away when we have these great powers.”

Tony pressed, the fear hitting hard with every speeding beat of his chest, “Not you. Not like this… Sweetheart-”

“We can’t play favorites like that.” You stood taller by that decision. “I shouldn’t even be alive, but I am, and it _has_ to be for a reason. I want it to be _this_ reason.”

The silence drew out, your eyes feeling like they might water for the sheer weight of this moment. You never wanted to confront him, you only wanted to help, and you hoped and prayed that he could see that.

“I… I gotta play favorites.” You looked to the ground feeling your heart sink and your eyes heat. “You’re the most important person in the world to me, if anything happened to you…”

Tony slowly shook his head and stepped back. “Let me just take this slow alright.” You jumped to attention. “Family dinner tonight at 7. And bring your Bugboy. Might as well talk about getting him suited up too. I don’t need you going rogue on me because you lost the love of your life.”

So excited you bounced near him as the jets started up. “Do you mean it!?”

“Taking it slow!” He reaffirmed. “I don’t want you back in the field until I know you’re ready!”

He tried to fly off before you could properly thank him but you portaled him back to the ground and jumped, tossing your arms around him and being lifted high in the air before he realized what happened and slowed. You squeezed him tight even though the armor wouldn’t let him feel it. “Thanks Dad.”

He hugged you back, bringing you both down to the top of a building. “Just be careful. I can’t lose you.”


End file.
